Cam Henderson Center
Encyclopedia
The Cam Henderson Center is the primary indoor athletics complex at Marshall University
in Huntington, West Virginia
, USA. The first basketball game played in the facility was a varsity match between Marshall and Army on November 27, 1981. The venue is named for Cam Henderson
, who coached football and basketball at the school from 1935 to 1955.
arena currently seats 9,048.
The arena was designed with a retractable lower seating section, which permitted used of the floor area for indoor track and general use by the physical education department. However this seating never worked as designed, and eventually the school stopped retracting the seating for fear it would become stuck in that position. Also the poured concrete floor developed major cracks. The Henderson Center is 213,000 square feet .
to support construction of Mountaineer Field
at West Virginia University
. Legislators affiliated with Marshall had opposed building such a facility unless Marshall also received an athletic facility. At the time, Marshall's home court was the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse
, a 30 year old county-owned facility located 6 blocks from campus and seating only 6,500. The Center was opened in 1981, despite construction of the facility not finishing until the next year.
In 1996 the school, using settlement proceeds from a lawsuit
against the seat manufacturer and a new state appropriation, replaced the lower section with a permanent seating section and repaired the floor, mostly ending the arena's use for anything except basketball and volleyball
, with the exception of a small annual charity tennis
tournament. This reduced the seating capacity
to its current level. With the decline in the men's basketball program, many years passed since the final reconfiguration of the facility without a capacity crowd seen in Henderson Center. On February 11, 2006, the Center was finally filled when the men's basketball team faced number 3-ranked University of Memphis
. The women's basketball program--which has become much more competitive since the 2001 arrival of coach Royce Chadwick--has held "Jam The Cam" every year since then, resulting in attendance records for women's basketball in the Mid-American Conference
(Marshall has since become a member of Conference USA
) and an occasional copycat event with one of the other lower-profile sports at Marshall, such as volleyball or swimming/diving.
The building was merged into the existing Gullickson Hall, and contains athletic department offices, and a competitive pool for swimming
in addition to the arena.
In 2011, the University proposed a deal with the local park board to take over and remove the Veteran's Memorial Fieldhouse, which would be the site of a new soccer field. The remaining basketball events at the fieldhouse, which are games of the city's two private high schools and regional rounds of the state basketball tournament, would move to the Henderson Center.
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
in Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
, USA. The first basketball game played in the facility was a varsity match between Marshall and Army on November 27, 1981. The venue is named for Cam Henderson
Cam Henderson
Eli Camden "Cam" Henderson was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at Muskingum College , Davis & Elkins College , and Marshall University , compiling a career college football record of 163–91–13...
, who coached football and basketball at the school from 1935 to 1955.
Design
The facility, as designed, was to be a "state of the art" arena seating 14,000. However during construction, massive budget cuts were made and the finished product seated only 10,250. The basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
arena currently seats 9,048.
The arena was designed with a retractable lower seating section, which permitted used of the floor area for indoor track and general use by the physical education department. However this seating never worked as designed, and eventually the school stopped retracting the seating for fear it would become stuck in that position. Also the poured concrete floor developed major cracks. The Henderson Center is 213,000 square feet .
Construction wrangles
Its construction was a part of a deal in the West Virginia LegislatureWest Virginia Legislature
The West Virginia Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of West Virginia. A bicameral legislative body, the Legislature is split between the upper Senate and the lower House of Delegates. It was established under Article VI of the West Virginia Constitution following the state's...
to support construction of Mountaineer Field
Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
Mountaineer Field is the football stadium for the West Virginia Mountaineers, an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team. The stadium is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, on the health sciences campus of West Virginia University....
at West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
. Legislators affiliated with Marshall had opposed building such a facility unless Marshall also received an athletic facility. At the time, Marshall's home court was the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse
Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse
The Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse is a 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Huntington, West Virginia. It was built in 1950. Prior to the completion of the Huntington Civic Center in 1976, it was the only large arena in the city.The Fieldhouse was the home of the Marshall University basketball teams...
, a 30 year old county-owned facility located 6 blocks from campus and seating only 6,500. The Center was opened in 1981, despite construction of the facility not finishing until the next year.
In 1996 the school, using settlement proceeds from a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against the seat manufacturer and a new state appropriation, replaced the lower section with a permanent seating section and repaired the floor, mostly ending the arena's use for anything except basketball and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, with the exception of a small annual charity tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
tournament. This reduced the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to its current level. With the decline in the men's basketball program, many years passed since the final reconfiguration of the facility without a capacity crowd seen in Henderson Center. On February 11, 2006, the Center was finally filled when the men's basketball team faced number 3-ranked University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
. The women's basketball program--which has become much more competitive since the 2001 arrival of coach Royce Chadwick--has held "Jam The Cam" every year since then, resulting in attendance records for women's basketball in the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
(Marshall has since become a member of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
) and an occasional copycat event with one of the other lower-profile sports at Marshall, such as volleyball or swimming/diving.
The building was merged into the existing Gullickson Hall, and contains athletic department offices, and a competitive pool for swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
in addition to the arena.
In 2011, the University proposed a deal with the local park board to take over and remove the Veteran's Memorial Fieldhouse, which would be the site of a new soccer field. The remaining basketball events at the fieldhouse, which are games of the city's two private high schools and regional rounds of the state basketball tournament, would move to the Henderson Center.